Benzene and Its Derivatives Chapter 4 Benzene and Its Derivatives

Aromatic Compounds Aromatic compound: A hydrocarbon that contains one or more benzene-like rings. Arene: A term used to describe aromatic compounds. Ar-: A symbol for an aromatic group derived by removing an -H from an arene. Kekulé structure for benzene (1872).

Benzene General properties: Display aromaticity. The carbon-hydrogen ratio is high. They burn with a sooty yellow flame because of the high carbon-hydrogen ratio. They undergo electrophilic subsitution and nucleophilic substitution Give sweet smell

Benzene Resonance structure for benzene (1930s) The theory of resonance developed by Linus Pauling provided the first adequate description of the structure of benzene. According to the theory of resonance, certain molecules and ions are best described by writing two or more Lewis structures. The real molecule or ion is a resonance hybrid of these structures. Each individual Lewis structure is called a contributing structure. We show that the real molecule is a resonance hybrid of the two or more Lewis structures by using a double-headed arrow between them.

Benzene Here are two contributing structures for benzene; The resonance hybrid has some of the characteristics of each Lewis contributing structure. The length of a carbon-carbon bond in benzene, for example, is midway between that of a carbon-carbon single bond and a double bond.

Nomenclature Monosubstituted alkylbenzenes are named as derivatives of benzene; for example, ethylbenzene. The IUPAC system retains certain common names for several of the simpler monosubstituted alkylbenzenes.

Nomenclature The common names for these monosubstituted benzenes are also retained

Nomenclature Phenyl group (C6H5- or Ph-): The substituent group derived by removal of an H from benzene.

Nomenclature When two substituents occur on a benzene ring, three isomers are possible; they may be located by: numbering the atoms of the ring or using the locators ortho (o), meta (m), and para (p).

Nomenclature For three or more substituents: If one of the substituents imparts a special name, name the molecule as a derivative of that parent. If none of the substituents imparts a special name, number the substituents to give the smallest set of numbers, and list them in alphabetical order before the ending "benzene".

Examples Name the following compounds

Examples Draw the structure of the following compounds a. 2-phenyl-4-hexyne m-ethylphenol

PAHs Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) A hydrocarbon that contains two or more benzene rings, with each pair of rings sharing two adjacent carbon atoms.

Reactions of Benzene Halogenation: By far the most characteristic reaction of aromatic compounds is substitution at a ring carbon. This reaction is called aromatic substitution. Some groups that can be introduced directly on the ring are the halogens, the nitro (-NO2) group, and the sulfonic acid (-SO3H) group. Halogenation:

Reactions of Benzene Nitration: A value of nitroarenes is that the nitro group can be reduced to a primary amino group.

Reactions of Benzene Sulfonation: An application of sulfonation is in the preparation of synthetic detergents.

The effects of subsituents on Reactivity of a Benzene ring Make benzene more reactive toward substitution Make benzene less reactive toward substitution

Example What product(s) would result from the following compounds

Examples Predict the products of the following reaction

Phenols The functional group of a phenol is a hydroxyl ( -OH) group bonded to a benzene ring. Name substituted phenols either as derivatives of phenol or by common names.

Phenols Most phenols are weak acids, with pKa values approximately 10. They are insoluble in water but react with strong bases, such as NaOH and KOH to form water-soluble salts.

Phenols Some phenols found in nature.

Phenols as Antioxidants Autoxidation: A reaction that converts an R-H group to an R-O-O-H (hydroperoxide).

Phenols as Antioxidants Autoxidation is a radical chain reaction: Radical: An atom of molecule with an unpaired electron. Chain initiation: Formation of a radical from a nonradical compound.

Phenols as Antioxidants Chain propagation: Reaction of a radical to form a new radical. Propagation step 1: Propagation step 2:

Phenols as Antioxidants Hydroperoxides: Are unstable. Under biological conditions, they degrade to short-chain aldehydes and carboxylic acids with unpleasant "rancid" smells. Similar formation of hydroperoxides in the low-density lipoproteins deposited on the walls of arteries leads to cardiovascular disease in humans. In addition, many effects of aging are thought to be the result of hydroperoxide formation and their subsequent degradation.

Phenols as Antioxidants Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant. BHT and BHA are synthetic antioxidants. These compounds are radical scavengers. They form stable radicals and thus break the cycle of chain propagation steps; they prevent further formation of destructive hydroperoxides.